Germany’s Alexander Zverev brought Arthur Fery’s dream Wimbledon 2026 campaign to an emphatic end on Friday, defeating the British wildcard 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 to book his place in the men’s singles final at the All England Club for the first time in his career.

Playing in front of a packed Centre Court crowd firmly behind the home favourite, Zverev weathered an early challenge before taking complete control of the contest. The German’s powerful serving, relentless baseline hitting, and superior experience proved too much for Fery, whose remarkable run had captivated British fans over the past fortnight.

Alexander Zverev has more than just defending champion Jannik Sinner to deal with on Sunday in the Wimbledon final.

The 29-year-old German also has Type 1 diabetes, which requires him to monitor his glucose levels and, if needed, inject insulin during matches.

Zverev, who won the French Open and is seeking back-to-back Grand Slam titles, uses an insulin pen when needed to jab the top of his thigh during changeovers on court.

Here’s some more information about Zverev and the disease.

Zverev was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a boy 
Zverev disclosed in 2022 that he has Type 1 diabetes, having been diagnosed at age 4, according to his diabetes foundation. He had previously kept it quiet. If he needed an insulin jab during a match, he’d do it privately during bathroom breaks.

The announcement coincided with him launching his foundation, to help children in particular.

“If we as a foundation, and me just as a tennis player and somebody who has diabetes, can help even just a single kid or a single parent, I’ll be the happiest person in the world,” Zverev said after an early-round victory at Wimbledon. “There’s a lot of great athletes, there’s a lot of actors, musicians, who have diabetes. It shows that with diabetes there shouldn’t be any limits.” 
Glucose sensor problem at tournament 
At a Wimbledon warmup event in Halle, Germany, Zverev said his glucose sensor gave him an incorrect reading at his semifinal match against Taylor Fritz. Because it showed falsely high levels, he accidentally injected too much insulin.

When he figured out the problem, Zverev consumed 350 grams of sugar through glucose gels in the first hour of the match to normalize his blood sugar levels. He reported feeling “awful” and lost the match in three sets.

“The company’s investigating it, looking into it,” he said at a pre-Wimbledon press conference, referring to the firm that makes the sensor. “I’ve been using it for 10-plus years. This is the first time ever it happened.” 
The sensors are life changing, he noted.

“Those things are still very, very useful for a diabetic, make the life of a diabetic much easier than without them,” he added. “It was very unfortunate for me that it happened, but I think as a product, it still is very helpful for millions of diabetes patients.” 
Zverev has permission from Grand Slam tournaments, the All England Club confirmed, to use his phone during matches to check his glucose levels. His sensor relays readings to the phone so that Zverev doesn’t need to do finger-prick blood tests. Otherwise, phones are not allowed on court.

Other high-profile athletes with Type 1 diabetes 
NHL Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke played his whole career with Type 1 diabetes, and current NHL player Max Domi also has the chronic disease.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, diagnosed in childhood, frequently checks his blood sugar levels during games.

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in his mid-20s, as was Olympic champion swimmer Gary Hall Jr.

Advocates say visibility is important, and not just in sports.

A year ago, Mattel introduced its first Barbie representing a person with Type 1 diabetes. She wears a continuous glucose monitor – to track blood sugar levels – on her arm while holding a phone displaying an accompanying app.

Facts about Type 1 diabetes 
It was once called “juvenile diabetes” because it most often occurs in children and teenagers. An estimated 9.2 million people have Type 1 diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that with the disease, “your pancreas doesn’t make insulin or makes very little insulin. Insulin helps blood sugar enter the cells in your body for use as energy. Without insulin, blood sugar can’t get into cells and builds up in the bloodstream.” Insulin shots are required to manage the blood sugar levels.

Shakur Stevenson is deemed by many to be one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters, but one Hall of Fame inductee believes that Stevenson, who is usually keen for opportunities to enhance his legacy, is in the wrong for purposefully swerving a showdown with Devin Haney.

Stevenson became a four-division world champion back in January, dominating Teofimo Lopez to capture the WBO super-lightweight world title. Since then, the Newark southpaw has been linked to a clash with welterweight ruler, Haney, but he has maintained that he would require his fellow American to move down in weight for a catchweight of 144lbs.

Now that Stevenson has signed with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, it’s unclear whether that will make a fight with Haney easier or harder to arrange. Instead, ‘The Dream’ is now expected to face Stevenson’s close friend, Keyshawn Davis, next.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, two-division world champion Tim Bradley stated that he believes Stevenson purposefully avoided a scrap with the WBO welterweight champion, even after Haney agreed to drop to the required catchweight. 

“Shakur Stevenson, he purposefully went M.I.A., man. He was like, ‘I think what Roy [Jones Jr.] said, wait until [I am at] 147lbs, Tim said the same thing. However, if you was going to make the fight at 144lbs… nah, I ain’t going to do it. I’mma let my brother, Keyshawn Davis, go ahead and fight you’.”

Whilst Haney has been ordered to take on Keyshawn Davis, Bradley went on to admit that he understands Haney’s hesitation to proceed with the fight, believing that Haney will be underpaid in a high-risk, low-reward defence. 

“You [Haney] are left with just Keyshawn and I know that you don’t want to do the Keyshawn fight. Hell no, why? Why do the Keyshawn fight? Ooh, it’s a good fight. S**t, I think that it is a lose-lose situation; [if] you beat him, ‘oh he don’t have no experience’, [if] he beats you, ‘oh, you ain’t that good.’

“Is the money going to be right? I don’t know if the money is going to be right. You are going to make some money but you ain’t going to make the money that you want to make.”

Haney and Davis’ teams now have just 11 days to reach an agreement, or the fight will go to purse bids. Meanwhile, it remains unclear who Stevenson will face in his Zuffa Boxing debut.

Converge guard Juan Gomez de Liano in action against Titan Ultra in the PBA Governors’ Cup.–PBA IMAGES

RODRIGUEZ, Rizal—Juan Gomez de Liano returned to PBA duties on Sunday after making a strong impression for Gilas Pilipinas during the third window of the Fiba World Cup Qualifiers.

Gomez de Liano exceeded expectations, particularly against New Zealand, which many saw as a game that solidified his place on coach Tim Cone’s rotation.

“Performance-wise, I hope so,” Gomez de Liano said after Converge’s 105-74 win over Titan Ultra at Ynares Center Montalban here.

The double-overtime loss to the Tall Blacks saw Gomez de Liano hitting two big triples that kept Gilas in the fight on the road.

His first three sent the contest to its first extension, while the second almost won it for the Philippines. But New Zealand had other ideas, eventually pulling off an escape act in the second five-minute period.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas’ young core gives hope despite 2OT loss

One good window, however, doesn’t mean that Gomez de Liano should step his foot off the gas pedal.

“Those things are pretty much out of my control,” said the PBA rookie. “If I said it’s out of my control, If I get a call up, I’ll just do my thing and show up and just be there for the guys.

“It’s out of my control, but you know, I can’t say I’ll screw the spot. So, I’ll just stay calm,” added Gomez de Liano.

The next window is set late next month with the start of the second round, and Gilas is in a situation where it must win almost all, if not all games to qualify for next year’s World Cup.

Gilas has a 2-4 record entering the second round, sitting fifth behind Australia, New Zealand, Iran and Jordan in Group E. The Philippines will each face Iran, Jordan and Syria twice across three windows.

“I feel like must win games for us,” Gomez de Liano said. “I don’t think we can afford to lose, you know, those Middle Eastern teams. They know how to play basketball the right way.”

Meanwhile, Gomez de Liano scored just two points, but had nine rebounds and nine assists in 25 minutes as the FiberXers rolled past the Giant Risers to begin their Governors’ Cup campaign on a bright note.

Ten years ago, Argentina’s Lionel Messi was so wounded by his penalty misfire in the Copa America final that he briefly retired from international football.

Back then, Messi was two years older than United States attacker Christian Pulisic right now.

And today, he’s a universally beloved national hero, a 2022 World Cup winner and, at age 39, still the most important player for a 2026 semifinalist.

No one is confusing Pulisic with the greatest footballer who ever roamed the Earth.

But when you zoom out, the unprecedented criticism the 27-year-old AC Milan star is receiving after the USMNT’s embarrassing 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 resembles the turbulence Messi faced with his national team in his late 20s. And it suggests there is more time for the Hershey, Pa., native to rescue his image than the moment suggests.

Like Messi, Pulisic came of age during a time when his country’s fans were looking for someone to pick up the mantle carried by previous legends.

For Messi, it was Diego Maradona, the man who led Argentina to their second World Cup crown in 1986 and remained relevant through the 1994 cycle. For Pulisic, it’s Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, whose attacking partnership elevated the United States to a consistent knockout stage participant in the early part of this century. Donovan was even a breakout star on the 2002 team that reached the quarterfinals.

And like Messi, Pulisic’s introverted personality has been an awkward fit with the team leadership hoisted upon him, complete with the corporate visibility he has willingly accepted

When you listen to Donovan’s criticism of Pulisic’s camp, claiming they keep him at an unnecessary distance from the rest of the group, there are obvious echoes of the grievances against mid-2010s Messi, who by then had already achieved nearly everything possible in an FC Barcelona jersey, but hadn’t won a single major title for Argentina.

So we’d be foolish to discount a Pulisic second act, though he may face some obstacles that Messi hasn’t.

There’s his durability. Pulisic has now left three of his seven career World Cup starts before 90 minutes due to injury. In his club career, he is typically removed before full-time while Milan try to manage what has been described as a chronic hip issue.

It may also be difficult to find a coach as amenable to building a system around Pulisic’s strengths as Lionel Scaloni has catered to Messi since he took the job in 2018. It’s one thing to build an entire team around one of the world’s all-time greats. It would be something different to do so for someone who might not be his country’s most talented footballer by the time the 2030 World Cup rolls around.

But Pulisic also has advantages, mainly lower public standards. A return to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 would be rightly hailed as a success. Even similar competitive results could be laudable if the final defeats came against better sides than a Belgium squad in decline.

Messi is not only uniquely great, but also uniquely effective in the latest years of a great career. Pulisic’s career resurrection will have to come sooner than at age 34, when Messi first won Copa America.

But there will be chances before then, potentially at the 2028 Copa America and definitely at the 2030 World Cup. And the burden of expectation will almost certainly be lighter than this summer at a home World Cup.

As is the case every offseason and summer, some former Minnesota Vikings players from the 2025 roster are having a rough time finding employment. This go-around is no different, with six players stuck on the free-agent wire.

Hope is fading for the following men to fetch contracts, but perhaps business will pick up at the end of the month when training camp hits.

Training Camp Offers the Last Real Path Back for 2026

Fabian Moreau (CB)

Moreau quietly performed well as the CB3 in 2025. In 11 games, he allowed a 54.2 passer rating and rarely became the weak link opposing quarterbacks hoped to exploit. Since Moreau isn’t a household name, his performance largely went unnoticed. Minnesota should strongly consider re-signing him if the price is right. Moreau would be a smart choice for a fourth or fifth cornerback, possessing enough experience to step up when injuries inevitably occur.

PurplePTSD‘s Brevan Bane wrote last month about a possible Moreau reunion: “The Vikings really feel like they could use another veteran in the room to be the CB4 behind Pierre. Fortunately, that potential veteran played for them just last season. Fabian Moreau has technically had two stints with the Minnesota Vikings. The first came in 2024, when he saw 86 coverage snaps, allowing 7 receptions and 2 TDs on 10 targets for a grand total of 67 yards, per PFF.”

“So, why not Moreau? Minnesota can keep roster spots open for one of these young bucks in the corner room to have a shot at some meaningful minutes. Worst case scenario, bring back Moreau and he already knows his role and how the defense operates.”

Based on his performance last year, Moreau should have a job in the NFL. He’s not washed.

Matt Nelson (OT)

Nelson spent most of his NFL career on the fringe of the league, bouncing between practice squads and emergency depth roles without ever becoming a recognizable name.

That explains his quiet free agency period. His next opportunity will likely arise closer to training camp, if at all. Once a team has a tackle injury or decides their current depth is insufficient, Nelson should receive another call.

Jeff Okudah (CB)

Okudah’s tenure in Minnesota was largely unsuccessful.

Plagued by concussions, his on-field performance was consistently poor, as opposing quarterbacks frequently targeted him with ease. So, the former third overall pick’s draft status has become a more prominent topic of discussion than his recent play. While he may secure a training camp invitation, the “2020 draft bust” label is likely to persist.

His career could be over.

Brett Rypien (QB)

Around this time last year, Rypien was the Vikings’ QB3. What a difference a year makes.

The Vikings’ quarterback room underwent a rapid transformation, leaving Rypien to seek new opportunities. His most likely path forward is securing an inexpensive QB3 role, ideally with a team that values an experienced professional during training camp. Rypien’s extensive knowledge of various offenses still makes him a valuable asset, even if a major role is no longer feasible.

John Wolford (QB)

Wolford emerged as Minnesota’s emergency option last season when the quarterback room faced injury challenges.

He is not expected to return for the 2026 season, and his market value is likely limited to a practice squad role. Alternatively, a team experiencing injuries might consider him as a standby. Wolford’s primary value lies in his familiarity with NFL systems and his readiness to serve as a depth quarterback — probably on a practice squad.

Contextual Note

Harrison Smith is technically a free agent, but he won’t sign with another team. It’s either return to the Vikings or retire, a decision that remains a mystery through six months of the offseason.

Former Vikings quarterback Kyle Sloter recently told our Steven Hoikkala, “I actually talked to Harrison probably daily … we probably didn’t talk too much football and what’s it looking like coming back and this, that, the other. There is fire. I would say that he, just from a body standpoint as well as mentally, he’s in a place where I think he’s probably moved on. Also, I’ll say this. I don’t think, and I’m not promising anything, I’m not speaking for him.”

“This is my guess based on everything: I think that players hate training camp. They hate OTAs. Don’t want to be there for that. Especially veterans, guys that are Hall of Famers, they don’t feel the need to be there. They know the system. They know how to play football at that point in their career. It’s about their body.”

Smith turned 37 in February.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

Ryu becomes the second golfer to go back-to-back at LPGA majors this season